How To: Throw An Office Party

Establish a theme

Okay, this may not be the senior prom but finding a theme for the celebration can turn a plain party into a major event. It can be a casino night, a disco boogie, or a luau beach party. You can even start off the merrymaking with a golf tournament. Finding a theme is always useful when settling on food selection and ambiance.

Organize activities

By organizing certain activities, you will demonstrate that you're in control of the party, not to mention, no one will get bored simply talking and drinking. Set up a raffle, a gift exchange or prize giveaway, and make plans for party games, but lay off Spin the Bottle. You can even invite your colleagues to prepare humorous skits or offer musical performances.

Prepare a menu

Your best option here is to allow for finger foods, both cold and hot ones. Serving Surf & Turf might be a classier option, but it causes a problem when people want to circulate and work the crowd while eating. Depending on your budget, your best bet might be to retain the services of a caterer.

If you do hire a catering service, be clear about how much money you're working with and how many people are expected to show up, and let them take care of everything. However, I strongly recommend that you double-check that everything's in order.

Choose the booze

The most elegant of parties requires a full bar, but people will understand if you choose to carry only a certain kind of alcohol to meet budget restrictions. For example, you may choose to only serve wine, beer, or hard liquor. A good compromise is to provide two punch bowls, one alcoholic and another non-alcoholic. Having soft drinks on hand will also be useful, especially toward the end of the evening when everybody's trying to cut back on their alcohol intake.

Provide security

The more people come to the get-together, the more problems you risk encountering. The combination of booze and guests who don't work for the company can be dicey. It might be a good idea to hire an experienced bouncer who can be on hand to resolve delicate situations. As long as the guy is inconspicuous and doesn't harass the guests, the party should go on without a hitch.

Play that funky music

If your budget is still agreeing with you, you can employ a band or DJ for your musical needs. If you're running out of cash, wheel in a sound system with a few CDs in the changer. You can create compilation CDs or invite the guests to bring their own so that no one can complain about the melodic choices. It's a decent initiative to encourage people to dance because, after all, it is a party.

Decorate the place

This is especially important if you've selected a theme. But even if you haven't, you might want to put up balloons, banners, and mood lighting. You'll want to provide enough chairs for guests, but don't have enough for everyone; that way, people will mingle more.